Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz is scheduled to leave for a brief visit to the United States on Wednesday, where he will meet with senior defense officials and discuss the Iranian nuclear talks, his office announced on Tuesday.
During his time there, he plans to sit down with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
“Gantz will hold a strategic dialogue on the issue of the emerging agreement with Iran, safeguarding Israel’s defense superiority and the stability of the Middle East,” according to a statement from the defense minister’s office.
He will also discuss with his American counterparts “a plan that the Israeli defense establishment formulated for bringing long-term quiet in the Gaza Strip, a return of captive civilians and the remains of soldiers held by Hamas, and a strengthening of the alliance of moderates and the Palestinian Authority,” the statement said.
In separate comments on Tuesday, Gantz described Iran as a threat to regional stability and world peace.
“It is a state that instigates terrorism and promotes a nuclear program that is dangerous to the region and to the State of Israel,” he said. “And still, Israel is the most powerful country in the 1,500-kilometer radius from Jerusalem.”
He continued, saying “The U.S. was and will continue to be the most important ally of Israel in the safeguarding of its security and its defense superiority in the region. Israel has not and will not have a better partner than the U.S. Even when there are divisions, they will be solved in a direct dialogue behind closed doors and not through a defiant dialogue that could harm Israeli security.”
